


Jumping To Conclusions

by earlgreyson



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 10:24:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5740072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgreyson/pseuds/earlgreyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sirius overhears James and Remus talking about him and assumes the worst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jumping To Conclusions

**Author's Note:**

> this was a prompt that got a little away from me and is unbeta'd so take it with a grain of salt.

Late afternoon sunlight poured through the Library’s long windows, turning the stacks a brilliant gold and glowing along the worn leather spines. The quiet would have been oppressive for Sirius normally, but he was thankful for it now as he curled up in the back where no one would think to look for him. Drained and tired, it had been hours since he’d come across Remus and James talking in hushed tones about him, the concern on James’ face clear and the irritation on Remus’ even clearer.  _This is it_ , Sirius had thought as the panic rose in his chest.  _This is where they decide I’m just like my parents and kick me out._

Sirius had tried to sneak away without the two boys noticing him, but the movement caught Remus’ attention and when he turned to look at Sirius his eyes went wide as whatever words he’d been about to say died in his mouth. He’d gone to stand but Sirius snapped into motion, bolting before either boy could say anything. He didn’t want to hear them cast him out, not after feeling like he’d finally found a home he could come back to. Despair and panic choked him and it wasn’t until he ran headfirst into Lily Evans that he became aware of where his feet had taken him.

“Watch it, Black!” Lily scolded from the floor, picking up her stack of books and putting them on the study table next to her. She looked ready to rip into him for half a moment, but the anger fell to confusion and then concern as she took in his face. “You alright there, Black?”

Sirius gaped at her for a moment, jerked a nod, and headed further into the library. He had hastily retreated to the small corridor in between the Restricted Section and the rest of the library, curling up on the window ledge that overlooked the Forbidden Forest. Heart racing and head pounding, Sirius leaned against the cool glass as he closed his eyes. He would not cry, no matter how much it felt like the end of the world.

The sun had just touched down behind the trees when clipped footsteps clicked on the stone floor behind him. Sirius didn’t turn, hoping that he was wrong about who was coming for him but knowing he wasn’t. The steps stopped echoing as stone floor turned to thick rugs. The sound of steady breathing wrapped around Sirius and he sighed, still refusing to turn and face the music.

“Padfoot,” Remus murmured gently as he laid a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. He wanted to shrug it off, wanted to retreat from the warm body he could feel right behind him. No, he wanted to retreat  _into_ the warm body. Wanted to carve out a hole in Remus’ chest and crawl in, to live surrounded by the life force of the boy who had pulled him out of infernos and detention without any questions.

When he remained silent, Remus sighed. “Sirius,  _please._ ” His voice cracked as he moved in to press his body along the line of the sitting boy’s back, hand sliding into the crook where shoulder met neck. He was so warm, firm in a way that Sirius had never felt, and his eyes squeezed shut to catch the tears that started to burn there. He didn’t want to lose this; he couldn’t go back to who he had been before.

“I don’t—” Sirius bit out, voice rough as he finally turned his head from the window, not fully looking at Remus but acknowledging his presence. He didn’t know what to say. _I don’t want you to tell me to leave. I don’t want to see you hate me. I don’t want you to leave me._

“Let me explain, please,” Remus begged, laying his head on top of the hand resting on Sirius’ shoulder. “I’m sorry, Pads, I didn’t think—”

Sirius suddenly burned with rage. He shoved his body backwards, pushing the other boy away as Sirius finally turned to face him. Remus’ eyes were rimmed with red, his skin paler than after a full moon. Shock and hurt creased the lines of his forehead, fear turned down the corners of his mouth. How dare he feel bad for what he was doing to Sirius, how dare he make Sirius feel like the villain here.

“You didn’t think? You didn’t think _what_ , exactly? That I wouldn’t be angry? That I would just take this lying down? What did you think, Remus, because I for one am dying to know.” Sirius’ voice climbed as he spat out the words, anger rising in him as the blood drained from Remus’ face. Any paler and the boy would mirror the moon he feared.

“I—I—” Remus stuttered, voice so quiet it was almost a breath. “I’m sorry, I know I’m not good enough. I just—” he trailed off as a tear slipped unnoticed down his cheek.

Sirius went cold, all of the anger fleeing his body in an instant only to be immediately replaced with horror. His mouth opened and closed several times as he struggled to find words, each second feeling like an eternity. Remus wiped hastily at his eyes before pulling himself up, breathing in deep before determinedly staring Sirius down.

“I’ll ask Dumbledore if I can take my exams now and leave as soon as I’m done, you deserve to finish up without worrying about me.” The words slipped slowly from Remus’ lips, but as he continued they fell quickly, like he couldn’t keep them in anymore now that he had started. “It’s just a stupid crush, I never wanted _mmph_ —”

Sirius couldn’t stop himself as he launched forward. He grasped the front of Remus’ robes and _pulled_ , meeting the boy’s lips with his own in what was too hard to be called a kiss. Hands scrabbling along Sirius’ sides, Remus fought to keep his balance before fisting his hands into Sirius’ shirt. After a moment he pulled back to study the boy’s face, the emotional whiplash leaving him wide-eyed and gaping like a fish.

“What—I thought—” Remus started, but Sirius pressed another kiss to his lips to stop him.

“I thought you hated me,” Sirius murmured after a moment. He had messed up, he had messed up so badly and he didn’t know how to fix it. “I thought you and James were going to tell me to leave and I was _so scared_.” Realization dawned in Remus’ eyes and he pressed his head against Sirius’ chest, clutching at him even tighter. Sirius wrapped his arms around the boy’s shoulders and for a moment they stood there in silence, unsure of how to continue.

“James wanted me to tell you I’ve been in love with you for years,” Remus mumbled, voice muffled by the shirt. “I was trying to convince him why that was a terrible idea when you found us.”

Sirius was frozen. He’d spent hours scared and alone because he was convinced that the people he cared about most hated him, that the boy he’d worshipped and laughed with and grown with didn’t want him. Instead it had been his own idiotic jumping to conclusions that had brought about this entire situation. If he didn’t want to cry he’d be laughing.

“You mean that we could have been snogging for ages now but because we’re morons we’re just _now_ getting to it?” It was meant as a joke, but Remus almost smashed his head on Sirius’ chin as he whipped back to stare at the boy. A watery smile flickered over Sirius’ face, a peace offering. Remus just stared at him for a moment before a grin split his face and he had to shake his head.

“We’re the biggest morons and James will never let us live it down,” he chuckled, leaning in to kiss the corner of Sirius’ mouth. Now that the truth was out it was like they couldn’t contain themselves anymore. Sirius traced random letters into Remus’ back, not wanting to let go as he grimaced.

“God he’s going to be insufferable.”

“We could just fling ourselves off the astronomy tower?” Sirius snorted at the suggestion.

“While I love your forward thinking, Moony, I don’t think death is the proper way to escape James. He’d raise our ghosts and scold us for the rest of his life.” Remus huffed a laugh, ruefully shaking his head.

“Well then we’re just going to have to live with him. Either that or smother him, I’m not picky.”

Sirius laughed finally. A full body laugh that rumbled out of his stomach and shook his body as he clung to Remus, head falling onto the boy’s shoulder as he too began to laugh. For now, it was enough.


End file.
